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Muston War Memorial - St John the Baptist churchyard

Please Help the Leicestershire War Memorials Project

By Kate Pugh and Neil Fortey

Photo: Illustrative image for the 'Muston War Memorial - St John the Baptist churchyard' page

Photo by Neil Fortey, 2009

The Leicestershire War Memorials project has been started to ensure that every memorial in Leicestershire is fully recorded. It hopes, too, that volunteers will collect information about the men whose names are inscribed on these memorials.

The Muston memorial, which consists of a six-sided plinth surmounted by a crucifix, stands in front of Muston Parish Church. We believe it was last cleaned some years ago and is now classified as 'at risk' by the United Kingdom National Inventory of War Memorials. The memorial has become difficult, but not impossible, to read due to weathering, lichen and moss. A list of the names on the memorial, without dates or regiments, hangs inside the church on the pillar facing the door.

The first panel carries the inscription:

"Erected to the Glory of God and in Memory of Those Men connected with This Parish who Lost Their Lives in the War 1914-1918".

The remaining panels commemorate the following servicemen who died in the First and Second World Wars. The inscribed words are recorded in bold-type below. Additional information has been obtained from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website http://www.cwgc.org/ .

Private J Buckingham Lincolns July 3rd 1916
Private James Buckingham, Lincolnshire Regiment 1st Battalion, Service Number 15446. Son of Mr & Mrs J Buckingham of Woolsthorpe.
Died 3/7/1916 aged 25 THIEPVAL MEMORIAL

Lance-Corporal W Bullock   Leicesters                              June 8th 1917
No further record of L-C Bullock has been located as yet, regrettably.

Gunner WH Coy                  RFA                                        August 8th 1917
Gunner W.H. Coy, Royal Field Artillery, "A" Battery 93rd Brigade, Service Number 85242. Son of Mr & Mrs Henry Coy, Muston, Bottesford, Nottingham.
Died 8/8/1917 aged 22                               ARTILLERY WOOD CEMETERY

Sergeant JR Furnival Australian Company April 27th 1915
Sergeant James Richey Furnival, Australian Infantry AIF 11th Battalion, Service Number 896. Son of Revd James and Julia Anne Furnival of 3, The Mount, St Leonards-on-Sea. Native of Muston.
Died 30/4/1915 aged 36 BEACH CEMETERY, ANZAC

Private Cyril Gale Lincolns April 27th 1918
Private Cyril Gale, Lincolnshire Regiment, Service Number 49381
Son of Charles and Isabel Gale, Muston, Bottesford, Nottingham.
Died 27/4/1918 aged 19 LE CATEAU MILITARY CEMETERY Cyril Gale appears, aged about 3, on the Muston School photograph, 1902 (See Places - Muston - Saved from the Silver Fish)

Private I Johnson Northumberland Fusiliers October 21st 1918
See research in comments below. Pte Johnson appears, aged about 12, on on the Muston School photograph, 1902 (See Places - Muston - Saved from the Silver Fish)

Sapper E Jones Australian Engineers December 1st 1916
Sapper Ernest Jones, Australian Engineers 6th Field Company, Service Number 3508. Son of James & Ellen Jones of Wilmslow Cheshire; husband of Sarah Lily Jones, Holly Cottage, Muston, Bottesford, Nottingham.
Died 1/12/1916 aged 26
BERNAFAY WOOD BRITISH CEMETERY, MONTAUBAN

Lance-Corporal WP Kirton Notts & Derby September 26th 1917
Lance-Corporal William Pollard Kirton, Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regiment) B Company, 2nd/15th Battalion, Service Number 201905
Son of Mrs Mary Ann Smith of Muston, Bottesford, Nottingham
Died 26/9/1917 aged 21 TYNE COT MEMORIAL

Private J Norman King's Own Lancers November 4th 1918
Private Jesse Norman, Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regt), 11th Battalion, Service Number 112905. Son of the late Henry and Elizabeth Norman; husband of Maud Norman, of Muston, Bottesford, Nottingham
Died 14/11/1918 aged 38 VIS-EN-ARTOIS MEMORIAL

Private RC Pritchett Notts & Derby August 20th 1918
Pte RC Pritchard, Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby Regt), 1st/5th Battalion, Service Number 201253. Nephew of I. Gale of Muston, Bottesford, Nottingham
Died 20/8/1918, age not given FOUQUIERES CHURCHYARD EXTENSION

Private E Wakefield Leicesters March 8th 1916
Pte Ernest Wakefield, Leicestershire Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Service Number 7376. Husband of A.L. Stafford (formerly Wakefield), of Hospital Cottage, Muston, Bottesford, Nottingham
Died 8/3/1916 aged 29 BASRA MEMORIAL

The memorial also commemorates two servicemen from the Second World War:

Lieutenant DJ Hicks REME
L David John Hicks, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, 151st Infantry Brigade, Workshop Company, Service Number 252159
Son of Harold David John and Winifred Louise Hicks; husband of Beryl Audrey Hicks (nee Brown), of Barnet, Herts. B.Sc. Eng.
Died 13/7/1943 aged 23 CASSINO MEMORIAL

Commander CJ Smith RN DSC
Some uncertainty, but this is probably
Commander Charles Janson Smith, D.S.C., Royal Navy, HMS Aurora (an Arethusa class light cruiser launched in 1936 at Portsmouth). Son of the Reverend Leonard W. Smith and Ann Smith; husband of Marjorie Margaret Smith (nee McRea), of Sth Kensington London. [We understand that the Revd Smith in question was probably the Rector of Muston, the last resident rector of the parish.]
Died 30/10/1943 aged 39 PORTSMOUTH NAVAL MEMORIAL

Photo by Neil Fortey, 2009

Close to the memorial there is a single serviceman's grave whose stone commemorates:

Flight-Lieutenant VS Walker
Pilot Royal Air Force
7th May 1947 Age 27
"Proudly Remembering Always Your Courtesy to All Men and Your Great Love"

Further details of the War Memorial are available at www.ukniwm.org.uk , where it is described as a ringed cross bearing a figure of Christ crucified, a tapered hexagonal shaft on hexagonal pedestal and three stepped base, of Ketton Stone, built by sculptor Mr William Silver Frith.

We would be grateful for any additional information, documents or photographs that readers can provide. We are particularly anxious to find out more about the men whose service records we have been unable to trace. Please contact us through the 'Comments' box on this page or add the information to this site's Messages page. Thankyou.

This page was added by Neil Fortey on 10/11/2009.

Comments about this page

'W Bullock' is Lance Corporal J.W Bullock Serial No: 14376 who was reported missing on the 8/6/1917. He enlisted in Leicester on the 7th September 1914 and saw active service until 15/6/1916 when he was 'posted to base' with 'trench fever'. He rejoined the 1/4th Battalion Leicester Regt. on the 6/5/1917 and is listed as missing one month later. His wife was Nellie Bullock (nee Harby). They married in Grantham on the 5/10/1912 and are recorded in his military records as having a son Frances Edward. Nellie Bullock, as next of kin, is also recorded as living in 'Muston, Bottesford'. In the dispassionate terms of the military record, the '22-3-1918' is listed as the date of 'acceptance of death for official purposes'. William's personal effects were returned to Nellie on the 28th May 1918 to 'Mrs Nellie Bullock, Barkestone Lane, Bottesford'. His campaign medals were forwarded on the 8th November 1920 and their receipt acknowledged by Nellie on the 11th December 1920. Nellie married William E. Pinfold in Grantham in 1922 (sometime between April to June). The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Memorial Certificate carries for following inscription:
In Memory of
Lance Corporal JOHN WILLIAM BULLOCK
14376, 1st/4th Bn., Leicestershire Regiment
who died on 08 June 1917
Husband of Nellie Pinfold (formerly Bullock), of 2, Barker's Place, Hinckley, Leicestershire.
Remembered with honour
ARRAS MEMORIAL

By David Middleton
On 14/04/2009

Private I Johnson, Northumberland Fusiliers: October 21st 1918

An 'Isaac Johnson' is listed in the 1901 census (DOB 1890; Parents John and Annie E. Johnson). Neither the CWGC Debt of Honour Register nor various military records on Ancestry.co.uk list an 'I' Johnson as a casualty in the Northumberland Fusiliers for that date. Scanning all 742 Johnsons, who are listed as casualties for 1918, still did not produce a record - need to do that again with a fresh eye. We will also go and look at the Grantham Journal for 1918 - this gives comprehensive entries for casualties in the weekly Roll of Honour during WW1.

By Sue and David Middleton
On 16/04/2009

Private I Johnson, Northumberland Fusiliers

Whilst we have not been able to trace Isaac Johnson in any military records nor in the CWGC register we have found the following report in the Grantham dated 9th November 1918. The date of his death in the article is given as the 20th October and he was buried in Muston Church yard, possibly on November 2nd 1918

Death of a Muston Hero - Still another Muston soldier has given his life for King and Country, viz., Pte. Isac (sic) Johnson, who enlisted in the Royal Engineers on July 19th, 1917, and was attached later to the Northumberland Fusiliers. He went to France in January, 1917, being wounded five months later at Armentieres. He was removed to England to Hospital at Newcastle on August 12th, 1917, later being removed to the University College Hospital, London. Pte. Johnson had suffered very much from his wounds, so that the sad news of his death on October 20th was not unexpected. The funeral took place on Saturday, at Muston, several of his former workmates and friends following him to the grave to show their tribute of respect to him. Before the war, Pte. Johnson was a platelayer on the Sedgebrook length of the Great Northern Railway, Much sympathy is expressed to Mr. and Mrs. J. Johnson and family in their sad bereavement. Their other soldier son, Pte. D. Johnson, is on his way home from India. He has also been suffering from dysentery and malaria.

By Sue and David Middleton
On 02/05/2009

Private I Johnson, Northumberland Fusiliers

A photograph of Isaac Johnson taken in 1902 alongside the pupils of Muston School can be found on the following page :
http://www.bottesfordhistory.org.u/page.aspx?id=549&path=

By Sue and David Middleton
On 22/12/2009

Following on from the Muston School photo of 1902, I have now found this page and note that I Gale (presumably Isabel) lost not only her son, Cyril, but in Pte Pritchett, her nephew too. The loss of so many men from such a small community was repeated all across the UK but at the time must have torn the village apart with such sadness.

By Jonathan D'Hooghe
On 19/05/2010